Small parties may upset the UP apple cart

Lucknow |  It is said, “Notice the small things. The rewards are inversely proportional.” This Liz Vassey quote fits perfectly in to the political scenario of Uttar Pradesh.

There are parties that, at the moment seem small and seemingly insignificant, but they have the potential of upsetting the apple cart of bigger parties.

They may not win seats for themselves but they can make others lose a few.

The latest IANS-C voter indicates an increase, albeit marginal at this stage, in the projected seat share. From 10, these parties categorized as ‘others’, have increased to 16.

These smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh are mainly caste- or class- centric and, over the years, have developed a strong following at the grass root level.

Apna Dal

For instance, the Apna Dal, a fledgling political outfit till a decade ago, was an almost non-existent force in state politics. The party began by winning one seat in the state assembly in 2012 and then scored a hundred per cent result in the 2014 when it contested two Lok Sabha seats and won both.

It repeated its performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections while it won nine seats in the 2017 assembly elections. The Apna Dal, today, is a bigger political force than even the Congress when it comes to the number of seats in the assembly.

The Apna Dal is a Kurmi-centric party and its MP Anupriya Patel says that she is carrying forward the work initiated by her father, late Sonelal Patel. “I am simply trying to consolidate Kurmis so that they can emerge as a force on their own. This is what my father wanted,” she said.

Though Kurmis are next to the powerful Yadav community among the OBC castes, the community has a two to three per cent population in majority of the constituencies in UP.

At present, the Apna Dal is an ally of the BJP but indications are that the party may move out of the alliance. It has already announced that it would contest the upcoming panchayat elections on its own.

An Apna Dal MLA, who spoke to IANS on condition of anonymity, said that if his party moved away from the BJP before the 2022 assembly polls, the BJP would suffer considerable damage. “Even a two per cent shift in votes will lead to a loss of several seats,” he explained.

The party finds its support base mainly in the farming community in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh.

AAP

Another ‘small’ party that could change political fortunes in Uttar Pradesh is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

AAP will be making its debut in the state’s electoral politics for the first time in 2022.

“There is a definite vacuum in the political space here because all parties are either focusing on religion or caste. No one is talking about crucial issues. We have the Delhi model of governance with us and we will showcase it to the people,” said AAP MP Sanjay Singh.

Singh has been extensively touring Uttar Pradesh since August last year, building up his party’s organizational structure at the grassroots level.

The AAP strategy for 2022 polls is aimed at denting the ruling BJP’s votebank.

AAP will be focusing on the middle class that has remained alienated in the BJP brand of politics.

The party is gradually elbowing out the Congress and this explains the constant stream of leaders form the Congress which is joining AAP.

“We are talking about school fees, electricity bills and health facilities. The middle class has been bearing the brunt of lack of governance in these sectors. We will place our Delhi model before them to show that nothing is impossible if the government wants,” the MP said.

Political analyst H.I. Siddiqui said, AAP may or may not win seats for itself but it will definitely play a spoiler for the bigger parties.

“Their leaders have been working at the grassroots level — reaching out physically to families in distress. What is more, no one in AAP talks about temple, caste, Muslims etc. They talk of bread and butter for the people, employment and good education which is attracting people. Other bigger parties are restricting themselves to waging wars on the social media,” he said.

Bhim Army

The ‘small’ party that is being touted as a possible gamechanger in Uttar Pradesh in the next assembly election is the Bhim Army.

The story of Bhim Army encapsulates the rise of Chandra Shekhar Azad, from a local leader in western Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district to become the face of Dalit empowerment and a rallying point for the resistance against the Modi government, especially with an aparent vacuum created by an all but dormant Mayawati and her BSP.

The Dalit leader, who made it to the headlines in the 2017 Saharanpur caste riots, has emerged as a highly popular young Dalit leader.

Chandra Shekhar is proving to be a perfect foil to the beleaguered Bahujan Samaj Party which, till now, has been the sole custodian of Dalit votes. It was this factor that led the BSP to win 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

The C-Voter survey shows the BSP doubling its seats in the projections.

A BSP MLA said: “The problem with our leader (Mayawati) is that she does not move out of her residence. Whether it is the Hathras incident or the Unnao incident, she has not bothered to meet the families of the Dalit victims while Chandra Shekhar has always reached out to them.”

Chandra Shekhar, who faces about two dozen cases, has been wooing the Dalit youth with a vengeance and hopes to takes away a piece of the BSP vote.

Parties like the Congress are ardently wooing him and not without a reason either.

Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party

Another ‘small’ party that is making tall claims in Uttar Pradesh is the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) , led by former minister Om Prakash Rajbhar.

A former BJP ally, Rajbhar has already tied up with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and plans to stitch up an alliance with Samajwadi Party and Shivpal Yadav-led Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL).

“I will show the BJP what it means to humiliate the Rajbhar community. We have a strong presence in Purvanchal — almost 18 per cent in some constituencies — and we will show our strength in 2022,” he said.

These parties may or may not win seats for themselves but they will undoubtedly make others lose a few.

By IANS

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